CHICAGO (AP) – Kyle Schwarber and Javier Baez homered, Kyle Hendricks was solid again through seven innings and the Chicago Cubs beat Colorado 6-3 on Tuesday night to end the Rockies’ season-high eight-game winning streak.
Carlos Gonzalez had two RBIs – on a double and sacrifice fly – as he started in right field for a second straight game after signing a minor league contract with Chicago on Saturday.
Schwarber’s solo shot to the back of the right-center bleachers in the fifth was his 11th homer and put Chicago up 3-2. Baez hit a two-run shot to the batter’s eye the next inning for a three-run lead. It was his 15th this season.
Hendricks (6-4) allowed three runs and six hits while striking out 10 – including five in a row over the second and third innings. The right-hander is 5-0 with a 2.09 ERA in seven starts since May 3. He also drove in a run with a bloop single in the second.
Steve Cishek followed with a perfect eighth. Pedro Strop, activated off the injured list before the game, pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his fifth save in seven chances.
Daniel Murphy hit a solo shot and drove in another run with a single. Nolan Arenado extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a single and Tony Wolters had an RBI, but the Rockies came up short in a rematch of last year’s NL Wild Card game – Colorado beat Chicago 2-1 in 13 innings to advance.
Colorado’s Jeff Hoffman (1-2) gave up five runs and six hits through six innings in this third start since being recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque on May 24.
With two outs in the first, consecutive singles by David Dahl, Arenado and Murphy put Colorado ahead 1-0.
The Cubs took a 2-1 lead in the second. Gonzalez lined a double over Ian Desmond in center – that Desmond appeared to lose sight of – to drive in Baez from first. Gonzalez scored on Hendricks’ single.
Murphy lined a solo drive to left-center in the fourth to tie it at 2.
The Rockies closed to 5-3 in the seventh on Wolters’ RBI single. Gonzalez made it 6-3 with his sac fly in the eighth.